Air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on a digital bus includes: a tube expander, a fin assembly load-fetching device, a fin accompanying tooling, interactive exchange trays, a controlled material trolley, and an electrical control device. The fin assembly load-fetching device includes an X-coordinate driving mechanism, a Y-coordinate driving mechanism, a Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and a mechanical arm including a coordinate rotating mechanism assembly and a load-fetching mechanical arm. The fin accompanying tooling is configured between the tube expander and the fin assembly load-fetching device. At least two interactive exchange trays are configured and clamped to the fin accompanying tooling. At least two controlled material trolleys are included and docked on an inner or an external side of the fin assembly load-fetching device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to International Application No. PCT/CN2015/085003, filed on Jul. 24, 2015, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201410372916.X, filed on Aug. 1, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to an automatic tube expansion system and, more particularly, relates to an air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus that is applicable to an expansion process for tubes received by fins in radiators and condensers of an air conditioner, which belongs to the field of air conditioner manufacturing technologies.

BACKGROUND

Often, metal plates with a relatively high thermal conductivity are attached to the exterior surface of a heat exchanger that requires heat transfer, such that the surface area for heat exchange in the heat exchanger is enlarged and the efficiency of heat exchange is enhanced. Metal plates having such a function are called fins.

An air conditioner includes two primary heat exchangers: a radiator and a condenser. On one side of the two primary heat exchangers, the working medium is a refrigerant. On the other side of the two major heat exchangers, the working medium is air. To enhance the heat transfer of the heat exchangers, a compact layout of heat exchange area is often used on the side filled with air, and the air conditioner mostly adopts a compact fin-tube type heat exchanger.

A plurality of mounting holes compatible with the outer diameter of copper tubes is often configured in the fins of the compact fin-tube type heat exchanger. In a typical fabrication process, first the fins undergo impact molding, then long U-shaped copper tubes are inserted side by side into the mounting holes of a plurality of fins, and finally, tube expansion is performed at open ends of the long U-shaped copper tubes. After the interior of the long U-shaped copper tubes is dried, short U-shaped copper tubes are mounted and welded, such that long U-shaped copper tubes are connected with each other successively. That is, all long U-shaped copper tubes are connected to form one passage.

Currently, air conditioner manufacturers still rely on manual operation heavily when it comes to the tube expansion process performed at open ends of the copper tubes received by fins of radiators and condensers. That is, fin assemblies with inserted tubes are transferred one by one manually onto the tooling of the tube expander. Then, an auto-indexable locking tooling is operated to clamp the fin assemblies in desired positions, and the tube expander is manipulated to perform tube expansion. After the tube expansion is completed, the fin assemblies are removed and stacked one by one manually and transferred to the next process.

However, the traditional manufacturing methods have drawbacks shown as below:

1. Though the tube expander has implemented automated operation, fetching and placement of the fin assemblies is still fulfilled via manual operation, resulting in a low degree of device automation, a low device utilization rate, and a low production capacity;

2. Because fetching and placement of the fin assemblies rely on manual operation, human factors such as responsibility and emotions, etc. of the operators have a relatively large influence on the progress of production;

3. Because fins are often relatively thin, deformation easily occurs after the fins are compressed or impacted. The shape and quality of the products are further affected and extreme care is needed when the fins are fetched and placed by manual operation, which invisibly elongates the operation time and fails to ensure the product quality.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Technical Solution

For issues existing in the aforementioned existing technologies, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus, thereby realizing automated operation and reducing the influence of human factors on the production progress. Further, the fin assemblies may be protected from being extruded during processes of punching, loading and unloading, and may avoid deformation caused by other reasons. Accordingly, the product quality is ensured.

To implement the aforementioned objects, the disclosed air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus includes a tube expander, a fin assembly load-fetching device, a fin accompanying tooling, an interactive exchange tray, a controlled material trolley, and an electrical control device.

The tube expander includes a tube expander head and an auto-indexable locking tooling. The auto-indexable locking tooling includes a front tooling plate and a rear tooling plate, and the tube expansion head is located above the rear tooling plate. A snap-in mechanism I and a locking mechanism are configured both on the front tooling plate and the rear tooling plate. A rotary center of the auto-indexable locking tooling is located at a central position, and a rotation control mechanism is configured inside the auto-indexable locking tooling.

The fin assembly load-fetching device is configured in front of the tube expander, and includes an X-coordinate driving mechanism in a left-right horizontal direction, a Y-coordinate driving mechanism in an anterior-posterior horizontal direction, a Z-coordinate driving mechanism in a vertical direction, and a mechanical arm. The mechanism arm includes a coordinate rotating mechanism assembly and a load-fetching mechanical arm mounted on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly.

A mounting base is configured on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly, and the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly includes an A-coordinate rotating mechanism that rotates using a horizontal axis as a rotation axis.

A joint control mechanism is configured inside the load-fetching mechanism arm, a sensor is disposed on a front surface of the load-fetching mechanical arm, and the back surface of the load-fetching mechanical arm is fixedly mounted on the mounting base.

The fin accompanying tooling is configured between the tube expander and the fin assembly load-fetching device, and includes a track, a walking undercarriage, and an indexable tooling shelf. The track is fixedly connected to the ground surface longitudinally.

The walking undercarriage rests on the track, and a longitudinal driving mechanism and a rotational driving mechanism are disposed inside the walking undercarriage.

The indexable tooling shelf includes a front operational plate and a rear operational plate. The entire indexable tooling shelf is mounted on the walking undercarriage and connected to the rotational driving mechanism of the walking undercarriage. The front operational plate and the rear operational plate are disposed symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis in an anterior-posterior direction. Snap-in mechanisms II are configured both on the front operational plate and the rear operational plate. The snap-in mechanisms II and the snap-in mechanisms I are configured in a spatially-misaligned manner. Further, the interval of the snap-in mechanisms II in the X-coordinate direction is the same as the interval of the snap-in mechanisms I in the X-coordinate direction.

The number of the interactive exchange trays is configured to be at least two, and a groove structure compatible with the fin assembly is configured in each interactive exchange trays. The external lateral dimension of the interactive exchange trays is compatible with the dimension of interval of the snap-in mechanisms II on the fin accompanying tooling in the X-coordinate direction. Further, the interactive exchange trays are clamped to the front operational plate and the rear operational plate of the indexable tooling shelf via the groove structure, respectively, and snap-in mechanisms III are configured on the interactive exchange tray.

The number of the controlled material trolleys is at least two: one for loading and one for unloading. The two controlled material trolleys are docked near the fin assembly load-fetching device, respectively.

The electrical control device includes an industrial control computer, a power supply circuit, a counting circuit, a fin assembly grasping and loading circuit, a fin accompanying tooling control circuit, a tube expander control circuit, and a fin assembly grasping-unloading-stacking circuit, etc. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to a sensor, and the industrial control computer is further electrically connected to the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and the A-coordinate rotating mechanism inside the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly, respectively. Further, the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the longitudinal driving mechanism and the rotational driving mechanism inside the walking undercarriage, respectively. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to the electric control system of the tube expander.

As a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the fin assembly load-fetching device further includes a support shelf. The support shelf is longitudinally disposed right in front of the tube expander, the base of the support shelf is fixedly mounted onto the ground surface, and a guiding track is horizontally configured in the anterior-posterior direction that is parallel to the Y-coordinate direction on top of the support shelf. Further, a horizontal beam is placed on the guiding track in the X-coordinate direction, and a driving mechanism is configured on the horizontal beam.

The mechanism arm is mounted on the horizontal beam, and the mechanical arm further includes a sliding track mounted on the horizontal beam along the Z-coordinate direction. An elevator mechanism and a horizontal walking mechanism are configured on the sliding track, and the coordinate rotating assembly mechanism is mounted on bottom of the sliding track.

The controlled material trolleys are placed inside the support shelf.

The industrial control computer of the electrical control device is electrically connected to the driving mechanism. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to the elevator mechanism, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the horizontal walking mechanism.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the interactive exchange trolleys is configured to be three, and the third interactive exchange trolley is clamped to the rear tooling plate of the auto-indexable locking tooling.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a C-coordinate rotating mechanism is further configured inside the mounting base. The electrical control device further includes a fin assembly mode recognition circuit, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the C-coordinate rotating mechanism.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of grasping mechanisms are configured in parallel on the load-fetching mechanical arm, and the electrical control device further includes a sequence grasping circuit.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a contact switch is disposed at a front end of the docking position of the controlled material trolley, namely, the limit position that holds the controlled material trolley. The electrical control device further includes a starting circuit, and the contact switch is electrically connected to the power supply circuit.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, position-limiting mechanisms are configured on both two ends of the track.

As a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, the controlled material trolleys are track trolleys or digitalized trays.

Advantageous Effects

Compared to existing technologies, because the air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus uses a mechanical arm to perform fetching and laying of the fin assemblies, the automation degree of the tube expansion system is high, the device utilization rate is relatively high, the product capacity is relatively high, and the influence of human factors on the production progress is relatively small. Further, because the fin accompanying tooling and the interactive exchange trays are configured, after loaded and grasped, the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes are first attached onto the interactive exchange tray and then transmitted via the fin accompanying tooling. During the whole transmission and punching process, the interactive exchange trays constantly protect the fin assemblies from being extruded or deformation caused by other reasons during the punching, loading and unloading processes. Accordingly, the product quality may be ensured. Because five coordinate mechanisms including the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, the A-coordinate driving mechanism, and the C-coordinate driving mechanism are configured in the mechanical arm, the load-fetching mechanical arm may implement self-adaptive fetching of the fin assemblies according to the program settings. Accordingly, the automation is implemented, and accurate operations of the fin assemblies during the loading and unloading processes are also ensured simultaneously, such that the fin assemblies may be prevented from being extruded and the product quality is ensured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a structural schematic view of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially enlarged view of a load-fetching mechanical arm in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a structural schematic view of a frame-type split control mechanical arm according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a partially enlarged view of a load-fetching mechanical arm in FIG. 3.

In these figures: 1. tube expander. 1.1. tube expander head, 1.2. auto-indexable locking tooling, 1.3. front tooling plate, 1.4. rear tooling plate, 1.5. snap-in mechanism I; 2. fin assembly load-fetching device, 2.1. support shelf, 2.2. guiding track, 2.3. horizontal beam, 2.4. driving mechanism, 2.5. mechanical arm, 2.6. sliding track, 2.7. elevator mechanism, 2.8. horizontal walking mechanism, 2.9. coordinate rotating mechanism assembly, 2.10. mounting base, 2.11. A-coordinate rotating mechanism, 2.12. C-coordinate rotating mechanism, 2.13. load-fetching mechanical arm, 2.14. joint control mechanism, 3. fin accompanying tooling, 3.1. track, 3.2. walking undercarriage, 3.3. indexable tooling shelf, 3.4. front operational plate, 3.5. rear operational plate, 3.6. snap-in mechanism II, 3.7. position-limiting mechanism, 4. interactive exchange tray, 4.1. snap-in mechanism III, 5. controlled material trolley, 6. electrical control device, and 7. fin assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the disclosed air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus includes a tube expander 1, a fin assembly load-fetching device 2, a fin accompanying tooling 3, an interactive exchange tray 4, a controlled material trolley 5, and an electrical control device 6 (hereinafter, descriptions are provided given the position of the tube expander 1 in the entire air conditioner fin assembly copper tube automatic tube expansion system as the rear area, the left-right horizontal direction as X coordinates, the anterior-posterior horizontal direction as Y coordinates, a vertical direction as Z coordinates, a rotation direction using the horizontal axis as the rotation axis as A coordinates, and a rotation direction using the vertical axis as the rotation axis as C coordinates.

The tube expander 1 includes a tube expander head 1.1 and an auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. The auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 includes a front tooling plate 1.3 and a rear tooling plate 1.4. The tube expander head 1.1 is located above the rear tooling plate 1.4. Snap-in mechanisms I 1.5 and locking mechanisms are configured both on the front tooling plate 1.3 and the rear tooling plate 1.4. A rotation control mechanism is configured inside the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2, and has a rotary center is located at a central position of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. The rotation control mechanism may rotate 180° around the anterior-posterior direction with respect to the rotary center and may be positioned.

To shorten the distance of material load-fetching, the fin assembly load-fetching device 2 is disposed in front of the tube expander 1, and includes an X-coordinate driving mechanism in a left-right horizontal direction, a Y-coordinate driving mechanism in an anterior-posterior horizontal direction, a Z-coordinate driving mechanism in a vertical direction, and a mechanical arm 2.5. The mechanical arm 2.5 includes a coordinate rotating mechanism assembly 2.9, and a load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 mounted on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly 2.9.

A mounting base 2.10 is disposed on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly 2.9. The coordinate rotating mechanism assembly 2.9 includes an A-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.11 that rotates using the horizontal axis as the rotation axis. The mounting base 2.10 may rotate in a range of 90° using the axis along the X-coordinate direction as the rotation axis and be positioned.

A joint control mechanism 2.14 is configured inside the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13, and a sensor is disposed on a front surface of the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.3. The back surface of the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.3 is fixedly mounted on the mounting base 2.10.

The fin accompanying tooling 3 is configured between the tube expander 1 and the fin assembly load-fetching device 2. The fin accompanying tooling 3 includes a track 3.1, a walking undercarriage 3.2, and an indexable tooling shelf 3.3. The track 3.1 is fixedly connected to the ground longitudinally. The walking undercarriage 3.2 rests on the track 3.1, and a longitudinal driving mechanism and a rotational driving mechanism are disposed inside the walking carriage 3.2. The longitudinal driving mechanism may drive the walking undercarriage 3.2 to move forward and backward on the track 3.1 and position the walking undercarriage 3.2. The indexable tooling shelf 3.3 includes a front operational plate 3.4 and a rear operational plate 3.5. The entire indexable tooling shelf 3.3 is mounted on the walking undercarriage 3.2 and connected to the rotational driving mechanism of the walking undercarriage 3.2. The front operational plate 3.4 and the rear operational plate 3.5 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis in an anterior-posterior direction. Snap-in mechanisms II 3.6 are configured both on the front operational plate 3.4 and on the rear operational plate 3.5. To avoid interference, the snap-in mechanisms II 3.6 and the snap-in mechanisms I 1.5 are configured in a spatially-misaligned manner. Further, the interval of the snap-in mechanisms II 3.6 in the X-coordinate direction is the same as the interval of the snap-in mechanisms I 1.5 in the X-coordinate direction. The rotational driving mechanism may drive the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 to rotate 180° around the rotation axis and position the indexable tooling shelf 3.3.

The number of the interactive exchange trays 4 is configured to be at least two, and a groove structure compatible with the fin assembly 7 is configured in each interactive exchange tray 4. The external lateral dimension of the interactive exchange trays 4 is compatible with the dimension of the interval of the snap-in mechanisms II 3.6 on the fin accompanying tooling 3 in the X-coordinate direction. Further, the interactive exchange trays 4 are clamped to the front operational plate 3.4 and the rear operational plate 3.5 of the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 via the groove structure, respectively, and snap-in mechanisms III 4.1 are configured on the interactive exchange tray 4. The snap-in mechanisms III 4.1 may clamp and position the fin assembly 7 in the groove structure inside the interactive exchange trays 4.

The number of the controlled material trolleys 5 is at least two, and the two controlled material trolleys are docked near the fin assembly load-fetching device 2, respectively. One controlled material trolley is for loading purpose and the other is for unloading purpose.

The electrical control device 6 includes an industrial control computer, a power supply circuit, a counting circuit, a fin assembly grasping and loading circuit, a fin accompanying tooling control circuit, a tube expander control circuit, and a fin assembly grasping-unloading-stacking circuit, etc. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to a sensor, and the industrial control computer is further electrically connected to the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and the A-coordinate rotating mechanism inside the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly 2.9, respectively. Further, the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the longitudinal driving mechanism and the rotational driving mechanism inside the walking undercarriage 3.2, respectively. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to the electric control system of the tube expander.

The disclosed operational principles of the air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus is described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 1, the controlled material trolleys 5 are placed on two external sides of the fin assembly load-fetching device 2, respectively. In one example, the left side is the loading direction, and the right side is the unloading direction. That is, the controlled material trolley on the left side is a loading material trolley carrying a predetermined number of fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes that are transferred from the last process to the parking station designed for loading of the air conditioner fin assemblies. The fin assembly load-fetching device 2 then operates to grasp and place the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes inside the interactive exchange trays 4 of the fin accompanying tooling 3. The fin accompanying tooling 3 transits the interactive exchange trays 4 and the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes to the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 of the tube expander 1 for tube expansion. The controlled material trolley on the right side is an unloading material trolley parked at the station designed for unloading. After completing the process of tube expansion, the fin assemblies are grasped by the fin assembly load-fetching device 2 and stacked on the unloading material trolley. After the stacking number reaches the predetermined value, the unloading material trolley moves to the next process.

When the system has not been started (i.e., at a zero position), the mechanical arm 2.5 is positioned at a location in front of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 illustrated in FIG. 1. Further, the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 is in a stagnant state with its front side facing downwards, and the fin accompanying tooling 3 is located at a front end position of the track 3.1.

When the loading material trolley carrying the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes and the empty unloading material trolley are ready at designated positions, once the power supply circuit of the disclosed air conditioner fin assembly tube expansion system based on digital bus starts, the system starts to operate, and the industrial control computer issues an instruction allowing the fin assembly grasping and loading circuit to start working. That is, the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and the A-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.11 start to work. The mechanical arm 2.5 may, based on a predetermined program and calculated coordinate actions, configure the front side of the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 to face towards a predetermined number of the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes that are stacked on the loading material trolley. The load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 is located right above the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes, and the counting circuit begins to work simultaneously.

The joint control mechanism 2.14 may operate to open the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 so as to grasp a first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes. After grasping, the mechanical arm 2.5 operates to raise the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 to a certain height. That is, the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes is disengaged with the rest fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes. Simultaneously, the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 shifts to the right and stops at the zero position, and A-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.11 operates to make the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 rotate 90° in the A-coordinate system. That is, the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13, together with the grasped first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes, is in a vertical state where the to-be-expanded tubes protrude upwards and faces towards the front position of the fin accompanying tooling 3. Then, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism operates, and the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 moves backwards to attach and clamp the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes to the interactive exchange tray 4 on the front operational plate of the fin accompanying tooling 3. Further, the joint control mechanism 2.14 works to make the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 open, and the Y-coordinate driving mechanism operates to move the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 forward till the zero position, thus completing the grasping and loading of the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes.

Simultaneously, the industrial control computer sends out a signal allowing the fin accompanying tooling control circuit to start operating: the longitudinal driving mechanism and the rotational driving mechanism inside the walking undercarriage 3.2 work simultaneously, and while the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves backwards, the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 rotate 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely, such that the front operational plate 3.4 carrying the interactive exchange tray 4 and the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes faces towards the tube expander 1. When the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves backwards to a predetermined position, the interactive exchange tray 4 on the front operational plate 3.4 of the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 clamped to the front tooling plate 1.3 of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. Simultaneously, the tube expander control circuit begins to work, and the locking mechanism of the front tooling plate 1.3 on the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 operates to lock the interactive exchange tray 4 that is clamped to the front tooling plate 1.3. Further, the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves forwards till the zero position, and the front operational plate 3.4 is disengaged with the interactive exchange tray 4 that carries the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes, thereby fulfilling the transfer of the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes.

The tube expander control circuit continues to operates: the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 rotates 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely around a tooling center on the same site, such that the front tooling plate 1.3 carrying the interactive exchange tray 4 and the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes rotates and is positioned right under the tube expander 1.1, and by then, the fin assembly grasping and loading circuit operates again. As described above, after grasping and attaching a second fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes onto the interactive exchange tray 4 on the rear operational plate 3.5 of the fin accompanying tooling 3, the mechanical arm 2.5 returns back to the zero position once again, thereby fulfilling the grasping and loading of the second fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes. The fin accompanying tooling control circuit operates again, and while the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves backwards, the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 rotates 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely, such that the rear operational plate 3.5 carrying the interactive exchange tray 4 and the second fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes faces towards the tube expander 1. Further the interactive exchange tray 4 carrying the second fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes is clamped to the rear operational plate 1.4 of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. The locking mechanism of the rear operational plate 1.4 on the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 operates to lock the clamped interactive exchange tray 4. Further, the fin accompanying tooling 3 once again moves forwards to the zero position, thereby fulfilling the transfer of the second fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes. Simultaneously, the tube expander head 1.1 falls a predetermined distance, and tube expansion is performed on the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes. After the tube expansion process is completed, the tube expansion head 1.1 raises, and the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 rotates 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely around the tooling center on the same site so as to release the clocking mechanism of the front operational plate 1.3. Thus, the tube expansion on the first fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes is fulfilled.

By then, the rear operational plate 3.5 of the fin accompanying tooling 3 faces towards the tube expander 1, and the industrial control computer issues a signal such that the fin accompanying tooling control circuit operates again. The fin accompanying tooling 3 moves backwards to the predetermined location, and the rear operational plate 3.5 clamps the interactive exchange tray 4 that carries the first fin assembly with expanded tubes. Further, the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves forwards, and the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 rotates 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely, such that the rear operational plate 3.5 carrying the interactive exchange tray 4 faces towards the mechanical arm 2.4.

The fin assembly grasping-unloading-stacking circuit begins to operate: the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 moves from the zero position, and simultaneously, the joint control mechanism 2.14 operates such that the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 opens to grasp the first fin assembly with expanded tubes. Subsequently, the mechanical arm 2.5 returns to the zero position. Simultaneously, the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and the A-coordinate rotating mechanism operate, and the mechanical arm 2.5 may, based on a predetermined program and calculated coordinate actions, configure the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 and the grasped first fin assembly with expanded tube to face towards the tray of the unloading material trolley. After reaching the predetermined height according to the information fedback by the counting circuit, the joint control mechanism 2.14 operates to make the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 open. The first fin assembly with expanded tubes is then placed on the tray of the unloading material trolley, and the mechanical arm 2.5 immediately returns back to the zero position to fulfill the grasping, unloading, and stacking of the first fin assembly with expanded tubes.

The fin assembly grasping and loading circuit operates again. After grasping and attaching a third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tube onto the interactive exchange tray 4 on the rear operational plate 3.5 of the fin accompanying tooling 3, the mechanical arm 2.5 returns back to the zero position, thereby fulfilling the grasping and loading of the third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes. The fin accompanying tooling control circuit operates again, while the fin accompanying tooling 3 moves backwards, the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 rotates 180° clockwisely or counterclockwisely, such that the rear operational plate 3.5 carrying the interactive exchange tray 4 and the third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes faces towards the tube expander 1. Further, the interactive exchange tray 4 carrying the third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes is clamped onto the front operational plate 1.3 of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. The locking mechanism in the front operational plate 1.3 of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2 operates to lock the clamped interactive exchange tray 4. Further, the fin accompanying tooling 3 once again moves forwards to the zero position, thereby fulfilling the transfer of the third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes, allowing the tube expansion process to be completed. Similarly, the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes on the loading material trolley all fulfill the process of tube expansion, and are stacked on the unloading material trolley.

The mechanical arm 2.5 in the fin assembly load-fetching device 2 may be a multi-joint centralized control mechanical arm illustrated in FIG. 1, or a frame-type split control mechanical arm, or mechanical arms in other forms. In the first solution, because the control of the multi-joint mechanical arm belongs to centralized control, accurate control of the coordinates can be relatively complicated, which requires a large volume of calculation using the industrial control computer. Further, the software controlled programs are complicated, the fabrication cost is relatively high, and the load of the computer control is heavy, resulting in easy occurrence of malfunctions. In the second solution, split control is applied. That is, a plurality of coordinate systems are used for split control, the control is relatively simple and direct, and malfunctions do not easily occur. Accordingly, the second solution is preferred.

That is, as preferred embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the fin assembly load-fetching device 2 further includes a support shelf 2.1. The support shelf 2.1 is longitudinally disposed in front of the tube expander 1, the base of the support shelf 2.1 is fixedly mounted onto the ground surface, and a guiding track 2.2 is horizontally configured in the anterior-posterior direction that is parallel to the Y-coordinate direction on top of the support shelf. A horizontal beam 2.3 is placed on the guiding track 2.2 in the X-coordinate direction, and a driving mechanism 2.4 is configured on the horizontal beam 2.3. The driving mechanism 2.4 may drive the horizontal beam 2.3 to move forward and backward along the guiding track 2.2.

The mechanical arm 2.5 is mounted on the horizontal beam 2.3, and the mechanical arm 2.5 further includes a sliding track 2.6 mounted on the horizontal beam 2.3 along the Z-coordinate direction. An elevator mechanism 2.7 and a horizontal walking mechanism 2.8 are configured on the sliding track 2.6. The elevator mechanism 2.7 and the horizontal walking mechanism 2.8 may allow the entire mechanical arm 2.5 to slide up and down in the Z-coordinate direction and move left and right in the X-coordinate direction. The coordinate rotating assembly mechanism 2.9 is mounted on bottom of the sliding track 2.6.

The controlled material trolleys 5 are placed inside the support shelf 2.1.

The industrial control computer of the electrical control device 6 is electrically connected to the driving mechanism 2.4, thus controlling the horizontal beam 2.3 to move in the Y-coordinate direction. The industrial control computer is electrically connected to the elevator mechanism 2.7, thus controlling the sliding track 2.6 to slide up and down in the Z-coordinate direction. Further, the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the horizontal walking mechanism 2.8, thus controlling the sliding track 2.6 to move in the X-coordinate direction.

As described above, when only two interactive exchange trays 4 are configured and clamped to the front operational plate 3.4 and the rear operational plate 3.5 of the indexable tooling shelf 3.3 via a groove structure, respectively, after the system begins to operate, during an exchange process after the third fin assembly with to-be-expanded tubes and the second fin assembly with expanded tubes are exchanged, the fin accompanying tooling 3 may only use one operation surface of the front operational plate 3.4 and the rear operational plate 3.5, and leave the other operation surface unused. Accordingly, to improve the device utilization rate and further improve the efficiency, as a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the interactive exchange trolleys 4 is configured to be three, and the third interactive exchange tray 4 is clamped to the rear tooling plate 1.4 of the auto-indexable locking tooling 1.2. In this configuration, an interactive exchange tray 4 remains clamped to each of the front operational plate 3.4 and the rear operational plate 3.5 during the exchange process of the fin accompanying tooling 3, such that the two operational plates are both fully utilized and the efficiency is relatively high.

In an ideal state, the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes from the last process stacked neatly on the loading material trolley. If the fin assemblies are not stacked neatly or the locations are mismatched, the phenomenon of inaccurate grasping and loading locations may easily occur. To further realize intelligence, as a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a C-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.12 is also configured inside the mounting base 2.10. The mounting base 2.10 itself may freely rotate up to 360° around a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the A-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.11 and be positioned. The electrical control device 6 further includes a fin assembly mode recognition circuit, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the C-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.12. When the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 grasps the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes or fin assemblies with expanded tubes, the fin assembly mode recognition circuit operates, and the sensor on the front side of the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 captures and feedbacks the shape and location information of the fin assemblies with to-be-expanded tubes to the industrial control computer. Further, the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 allows the C-coordinate rotating mechanism 2.12 to operate according to the location information and shape information fedback by the fin assembly mode recognition circuit. Accordingly, the self-location is automatically adjusted, and the self-adaptive grasping is implemented.

To realize universality of fin assemblies in different styles and dimensions, as a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of grasping mechanisms are configured in parallel on the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.14, and the electrical control device 6 further includes a sequence grasping circuit. For fin assemblies with different widths, according to the feedback of the fin assembly mode recognition circuit, the load-fetching mechanical arm 2.14 may realize sequential, in-parallel grasping, and sequential stacking.

To implement the automatic launch of the air conditioner fin assembly copper tube automatic tube expansion system, as a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, a contact switch is disposed at a front end of the docking position of the controlled material trolley 5, namely, the limit position that holds the controlled material trolley 5. The electrical control device 6 further includes a starting circuit, and the contact switch is electrically connected to the power supply circuit. When the loading material trolley and the unloading material trolley are both ready, the contact switch is switched on, the system power supply circuit is launched, and the system begins to work, thereby realizing intelligent operation.

During an operational process of the fin accompanying tooling 3, to prevent the walking undercarriage 3.2 from slipping out of the track 3.1 caused by abnormal programs or device malfunctions, as a further improved embodiment of the present disclosure, position-limiting mechanisms 3.7 are configured at both ends of the track 3.1.

The controlled material trolley 5 may be pushed manually, or move via digital operation. Because the latter option shows a higher automation degree and the influence of human factors may be further reduced, the digital operation is preferred. That is, in preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the controlled material trolleys 5 are digital track trolleys or digitalized trays. The digital track trolleys or the digitalized trays meet the standards of digital buses fabricated in a factory, and may be connected to a digital bus in the factory to implement centralized digital management. That is, the fin assemblies fulfilled in the last process may be transferred to a designated station for the air conditioner fin assembly cooper tube automatic tube expansion system via a digitally controlled track trolley or a digitalized tray carried by a transport belt. Optionally, the fin assemblies fulfilling the tube expansion process may also be transferred to a station for the next process via the digitally controlled track trolley or the digitalized tray carried by the transport belt.

The air conditioner fin assembly copper tube automatic tube expansion system is a digital control unit, and may be seamlessly connected to the digital bus of the factory to implement centralized digital management.

The disclosed air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system based on digital bus has a high automation degree, a relatively high device utilization rate, a relatively high product capacity, and the influence of human factors on the production progress is relatively small. During the whole transmission and punching process, the interactive exchange trays 4 constantly protect the fin assemblies from being extruded or deformation caused by other reasons during the punching, loading and unloading processes. Accordingly, the product quality may be ensured. The load-fetching mechanical arm 2.13 implements self-adaptive fetching of the fin assemblies according to the program settings. Accordingly, the automation is implemented, and accurate operations of the fin assemblies during the loading and unloading processes are also ensured simultaneously, such that the fin assemblies may be prevented from being extruded and the product quality is ensured. 

1. A digital-bus-based, air conditioner fin assembly automatic tube expansion system, the system comprising: a tube expander, at least two controlled material trolleys, an electrical control device, a fin assembly load-fetching device, a fin accompanying tooling, and at least two interactive exchange trays, wherein: the fin assembly load-fetching device is configured in front of the tube expander, and includes an X-coordinate driving mechanism in a left-right horizontal direction, a Y-coordinate driving mechanism in an anterior-posterior horizontal direction, a Z-coordinate driving mechanism in a vertical direction, and a mechanical arm, the mechanical arm including a coordinate rotating mechanism assembly and a load-fetching mechanical arm mounted on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly, a mounting base is disposed on the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly, and the coordinate rotating mechanism assembly includes an A-coordinate rotating mechanism that rotates using a horizontal axis as a rotation axis; a joint control mechanism is configured inside the load-fetching mechanical arm, a sensor is disposed on a front side, and a back side of the load-fetching mechanical arm is fixedly mounted on the mounting base. 2-8. (canceled)
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the fin accompanying tooling is configured between the tube expander and the fin assembly load-fetching device, and includes a track, a walking undercarriage, and an indexable tooling shelf, wherein the track is fixedly connected to a ground surface longitudinally, and the walking undercarriage rests on the track, and a longitudinal driving mechanism and a rotational driving mechanism are disposed inside the walking undercarriage.
 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein: the indexable tooling shelf includes a front operational plate and a rear operational plate, together mounted on the walking undercarriage and connected to the rotational driving mechanism of the walking undercarriage, the front operational plate and the rear operational plate are disposed symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis, and snap-in mechanisms II are configured on both the front operational plate and the rear operational plate, wherein the snap-in mechanisms II and the snap-in mechanisms I are configured in a spatially-misaligned manner, and an interval of the snap-in mechanisms II in an X-coordinate direction is the same as an interval of the snap-in mechanisms I in the X-coordinate direction.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: a groove structure compatible with a fin assembly is configured in each interactive exchange tray, an external lateral dimension of the interactive exchange trays is compatible with a dimension of the interval between the snap-in mechanisms II on the fin accompanying tooling in the X-coordinate direction, the interactive exchange trays are clamped to the front operational plate and the rear operational plate of the indexable tooling shelf via the groove structure, and snap-in mechanisms III are configured on the interactive exchange tray.
 12. The system according to claim 9, wherein: the electrical control device includes an industrial control computer, a power supply circuit and a tube expander control circuit, the industrial control computer being electrically connected to a tube expansion electric control system, and the electrical control device further includes a counting circuit, a fin assembly grasping and loading circuit, a fin accompanying tooling control circuit, and a fin assembly grasping-unloading-stacking circuit, wherein: the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the sensor, the industrial control computer is further electrically connected to the X-coordinate driving mechanism, the Y-coordinate driving mechanism, the Z-coordinate driving mechanism, and the A-coordinate rotating mechanism, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the longitudinal driving mechanism and the rotational driving mechanism inside the walking undercarriage, respectively.
 13. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the tube expander includes a tube expander head and an auto-indexable locking tooling, the auto-indexable locking tooling including a front tooling plate and a rear tooling plate, wherein: the expander head is located above the rear tooling plate, locking mechanisms are configured on both the front tooling plate and the rear tooling plate, a rotation control mechanism is configured inside the auto-indexable locking tooling and has a rotary center located at a central position thereof; and snap-in mechanisms I are configured on the front tooling plate and the rear tooling plate of the tube expander.
 14. The system according to claim 1, wherein: at least two controlled material trolleys include one for loading and one for unloading and the at least two controlled material trolleys are docked near the fin assembly load-fetching device, respectively.
 15. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the fin assembly load-fetching device further includes a support shelf longitudinally disposed in front of the tube expander, a base of the support shelf is fixedly mounted on the ground surface, and the guiding track is horizontally configured in an anterior-posterior direction that is parallel to the Y-coordinate direction on top of the support shelf, a horizontal beam is placed on the guiding track in the X-coordinate direction, and a driving mechanism is configured on the horizontal beam, and the controlled material trolleys are disposed inside the support shelf.
 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein: the mechanical arm is mounted on the horizontal beam, and the mechanical arm further includes a sliding track mounted on the horizontal beam along the Z-coordinate direction, an elevator mechanism and a horizontal walking mechanism are configured on the sliding track, the coordinate rotating assembly mechanism is mounted on bottom of the sliding track, and the industrial control computer of the electrical control device is electrically connected to the driving mechanism, the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the elevator mechanism, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the horizontal walking mechanism.
 17. The system according to claim 12, wherein: three interactive exchange trolleys are configured to have a third interactive exchange tray clamped to the rear tooling plate of the auto-indexable locking tooling.
 18. The system according to claim 1, wherein: a C-coordinate rotating mechanism is further configured inside the mounting base, and the electrical control device further includes a fin assembly mode recognition circuit, and the industrial control computer is electrically connected to the C-coordinate rotating mechanism.
 19. The system according to claim 1, wherein: a plurality of grasping mechanisms are configured in parallel on the load-fetching mechanical arm, and the electrical control device further includes a sequence grasping circuit.
 20. The system according to claim 1, wherein: a contact switch is disposed at a front end of a docking position of the controlled material trolley to hold the controlled material trolley at an utmost limit position, and the electrical control device further includes a starting circuit, and the contact switch is electrically connected to the power supply circuit.
 21. The system according to claim 9, wherein: position-limiting mechanisms are configured at both ends of the track.
 22. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the controlled material trolley includes a track trolley or a digitalized tray. 